Senatorial candidate and former Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos called for the restoration of the regulatory powers of the National Food Administration (NFA) to help stabilize rice prices.
“Noong may kapangyarihan ang NFA na bumili at magbenta ng bigas, hindi ganyan ka-lugmok ang mga magsasaka,” Abalos said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Napakasimple ng solusyon—ibalik ang kapangyarihan ng NFA. Bumili sa tamang presyo, ibenta agad. Hindi na kailangang ipa-imbak pa. Umiikot ang pera, buhay ang magsasaka,” he added.
(When the National Food Authority (NFA) had the power to buy and sell rice, farmers could earn. The solution is simple — Restore NFA’s power, buy at the right price, and sell immediately. No need to store them anymore. The money should circulate so the farmer lives.)
Abalos made the statement following a dialogue with farmers, NFA Administrator Larry Lacson, Agriculture Undersecretary Asis Perez, and former Agriculture Secretary Leo Montemayor.
The enactment of the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) in 2019 removed the regulatory powers of NFA and limited its mandate to managing buffer rice stocks. The law prohibited the NFA from buying selling and importing rice.
Instead, the RTL allowed private entities to import rice without limit, envisioned to bring down the prices of rice due to the larger supply.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier approved the reduction in rice tariffs to 15% from 35% starting July 2024. The DA said this has brought prices down to the lowest levels in over two years, with some rice varieties below $400 per metric ton. —Mariel Celine Serquiña/LDF, GMA Integrated News
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